Clicking on Minecraft in High Heat

Clicking in high heat was what happened last Friday when I tried starting my car, and the battery gave up the ghost. To put it charitably, that was inconvenient But today, the clicking is about some worthwhile summer reading on the world of education.

Many of the educational posts I’ve come across recently has fallen into two categories. One seems to be, “telling teachers how to do their jobs.” That’s neither the purview nor the intent of this blog. Much of the remainder seems directed towards older students, beyond Unity Charter School’s K – 8 range. If you find an article on education that you feel is worth sharing, please forward it to blogeditor@unitycharterschool.org.

How do we create critical thinkers? While it might be directed more towards high school and college, this useful infographic cuts to the chase.

At dinner for a few nights, Laurel regaled us with her adventures in Minecraft. When I asked her what Minecraft was, she rolled her eyes. Once again, Dad’s out of touch with the reality of the fourth grade. Although I’m skeptical about online learning, this is a fascinating piece on the use of Minecraft in the classroom. Check out the accompanying video, too.

Minecraft City Hall; courtesy of Wikipedia Commons.

If you’re looking for outdoor education ideas for your family this summer, read Matt Davis’s ideas on Edutopia. If you do get outdoors, remember to drink plenty of water. It’s easy to get dehydrated in the current heat wave.

The guys at Education Rethink have an iconoclastic side that gets my attention. I’m not sure I appreciate everything on their site, but these notes on the creative process are worth reading.

Peter Minde is a father of a Unity 4th grader. A member of Unity’s Board of Trustees, he chairs the Whole School Viability committee. He is a freelance writer and NASM certified personal trainer.